HARRISBURG - PA Chamber of Business and Industry’s President and CEO Gene Barr issued the following statement regarding the Renewable Fuel Standard’s ethanol mandate and the impact it is having on Pennsylvania’s energy sector. The RFS was established in 2005 as part of the federal government’s Energy Policy Act.

“The Renewable Fuel Standard’s ethanol mandate is placing extraordinary cost burdens on Pennsylvania’s energy sector – particularly impacting the Commonwealth’s southeastern refineries and jeopardizing the thousands of the good-paying, family sustaining jobs that these refineries support. In fact, Philadelphia Energy Solutions – a major employer in southeastern Pennsylvania – recently announced it will seek bankruptcy protection in part due to the financial stress that compliance with RFS has placed on the facility’s operations.

“Pennsylvania’s diverse energy portfolio – including the exploration and production of its prolific natural gas resources as well as its significant coal, nuclear and renewable assets – has helped put our country on a path to energy independence. In that same vein, our energy resources are one of the Commonwealth’s most valuable competitive assets. However, unnecessary and costly government mandates threaten both our energy independence and competitiveness. We urge Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation to act quickly and repeal the burdensome ethanol mandate.”

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The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry is the state's largest broad-based business association, with its statewide membership comprising businesses of all sizes and across all industry sectors. The PA Chamber is The Statewide Voice of BusinessTM.